UTC to EST
UTC and EST explained
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is UTC+0, the world's reference time, used by aviation, computing and science. UTC never changes for daylight saving. For everyday purposes it is the same as GMT.
Eastern Time uses EST (UTC−5) as standard time and EDT (UTC−4) during daylight saving time, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November; the clocks change at 2am local time. It covers the eastern US and Canada, including New York, Washington DC, Miami, Atlanta and Toronto. People often say "EST" all year, but EST is strictly the winter name: during daylight saving time the eastern US is on EDT.
The difference across the year
ET compared with UTC:
- 4 hours behind (UTC and EDT) from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November
- 5 hours behind (UTC and EST) from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March
ET changes its clocks and UTC doesn't, so the gap changes during the year. The converter above uses the rules for the date you pick.
Common times
| UTC | ET 4 hours behind | ET 5 hours behind |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 12am | 20:00 8pm, previous day | 19:00 7pm, previous day |
| 06:00 6am | 02:00 2am | 01:00 1am |
| 08:00 8am | 04:00 4am | 03:00 3am |
| 09:00 9am | 05:00 5am | 04:00 4am |
| 12:00 12pm | 08:00 8am | 07:00 7am |
| 15:00 3pm | 11:00 11am | 10:00 10am |
| 17:00 5pm | 13:00 1pm | 12:00 12pm |
| 18:00 6pm | 14:00 2pm | 13:00 1pm |
| 21:00 9pm | 17:00 5pm | 16:00 4pm |
How to use the converter
Pick a time and date under From; the time in ET appears under To, with your own local time underneath. The date matters around clock changes, so set it for the day you mean. ⇄ swaps the two zones, Now goes back to the current time, and either zone can be changed to any city. The planner below lines up the whole day in both places and in yours.
Handy for
- Reading UTC timestamps from servers, APIs and logs
- Software releases and maintenance windows announced in UTC
- Aviation and weather times given in UTC (Zulu)
Questions
What is the time difference between UTC and EST?
ET is 4 hours behind UTC from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and 5 hours behind from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March.
Do UTC and ET change for daylight saving?
UTC never changes: it is UTC+0 all year. Eastern Time switches from EST (UTC−5) to EDT (UTC−4) on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November.
How do I convert UTC to EST?
Subtract 4 hours when it is UTC and EDT; subtract 5 hours when it is UTC and EST. Or use the converter above: it applies the rules for the exact date you pick.
More time zone pages
Or open the full Time Zones meeting planner and world clock.